Thursday, July 26, 2007

The US government called the windfall "the largest single drug cash seizure the world has ever seen."

It was all found stashed behind false walls and in cupboards of a luxurious Mexico City mansion owned by a Chinese pharmaceutical tycoon accused of making a fortune by peddling massive quantities of a chemical used to make the street drug crystal methamphetamine.

Police also seized six Mercedes Benz cars in the March raid on the Mediterranean-style house, but businessman Zhenli Ye Gon managed to escape and fled across the border into the United States.

Drug agents who arrested Ye Gon, 44, at a restaurant in the Washington DC suburb of Maryland on Monday night suspect the businessman had already gambled away more than 125 million of his ill-gotten gains on the blackjack tables in Las Vegas.

His company, Unimed Pharm Chem de Mexico, has been charged with illegally importing pseudoephedrine, a cold medicine ingredient.

According to court documents, the massive amount of the chemical shipped overseas was enough to produce crystal meth with a street value of more than 750 million.

"With the arrest of Zhenli Ye Gon, we've apprehended not only the man behind the money, but the man behind the meth," said US Drug Enforcement Agency boss Karen Tandy.

"He may never have touched the drugs, but he made it all possible, facilitating the massive meth trade by brokering chemicals to kingpins," she added.

Ye Gon, who claims he has been framed by corrupt Mexican politicians, was ordered jailed without bail when he appeared in US District Court in Washington on Tuesday.

His lawyers claimed that Ye Gon was merely safeguarding 160 million of the cash that was raised as a 'slush fund' to fight the Mexican presidential election.

Well at least we know that this bust may put a bit of a bite in the Meth market temporarily...Who keeps $200 Million dollars in cash at their house? Buy a house or a yacht or something.